Overview & Reviews

Volkswagen is an automaker based in Germany. Its products typically command a higher price than those of competing models, but the return is a more upscale driving and ownership experience.

In 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was commissioned to build a small, inexpensive car at the request of Adolph Hitler. His answer -- a beetle-shaped sedan that was called a Volkswagen (German for "people's car") -- debuted two years later. Hitler had a town built near the plant for factory workers; he named it Kraft durch Freude Stadt (derived from the Nazi party's motto, "Joy through Strength"), and soon decided that Porsche's creation should be named the KdF-wagen (short for the "Joy through Strength" car). This upset Porsche, who was not political.

World War II delayed production of the vehicle; the factory suffered extensive damage during combat, and was ultimately taken over by the British Army. The company was renamed Volkswagen, and the town at the factory was renamed Wolfsburg (after Werner von Schulenberg of Wolfsburg, who had been forced to surrender his land for the construction of the town and factory). By the end of the 1940s, mass production of the Volkswagen Beetle had begun. The model made its first appearance on U.S. shores in 1949.

The 1950s saw Volkswagen broadening its product range, adding the Bus (Type 2) to its lineup. The Bus, especially, proved quite popular due to its versatility. And the Beetle, which went on to become the best-selling car of all time, quickly showed signs of being an enduring favorite, with more than 1 million models produced at the Wolfsburg factory by 1955. This decade also saw the debut of the Karmann Ghia sports car, which featured a sleek, Italian-designed two-seater body atop a Beetle platform.

Volkswagen's star rose during the 1960s, its success fueled largely by the breakout success of the Beetle. The car benefited from an effective advertising campaign and from an appearance in a popular Disney movie. By the close of the decade, Volkswagen's yearly output of Beetles topped the 1 million mark.

In 1972, with more than 15 million units assembled, the Beetle topped the world production record set by Ford's Model T. Mid-decade saw the launch of a new era of Volkswagens that had front-mounted, water-cooled engines driving the front wheels. The Passat (Dasher in the U.S.) was the first of the new breed and was built using standardized components that could be used interchangeably among other models in the manufacturer's lineup. The Passat was soon joined by the Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.), which met with immediate success. By the end of the decade, the manufacturer's lineup had grown to include the Scirocco sport coupe and the performance-oriented Golf/Rabbit GTI. The Beetle, however, was discontinued for the U.S. market.

The Golf grew in popularity during the '80s, becoming Volkswagen's most popular model. When a second generation of the car was built in 1983, it was crafted in a mostly automated process using robots -- marking the first time robots had been used in vehicle manufacture. By the mid-'80s, the U.S. version traded the Rabbit name for "Golf." The higher-performance Golf GTI helped the manufacturer make waves on the rally circuit. In 1986, Volkswagen Motorsport nabbed the title of Group A World Rally Champions.

Volkswagen saw its sales in the North American market tumble during the early '90s, but by the end of the decade, refocused marketing efforts and an increased emphasis on new products had brought about a turnaround in the company's fortunes. The popular New Beetle helped put the company back on the radar in the United States (though it fared less successfully in European markets). The body style was based on the classic Beetle, and it struck a chord with consumers who still had a place in their hearts for the iconic, cheerful-looking "love bug."

The new millennium saw Volkswagen moving into the luxury segment with the launch of the pricey Phaeton sedan and Touareg SUV. Though well-designed and executed, the Phaeton was a disappointment sales-wise, perhaps signaling unwillingness on the part of consumers to shell out premium dollars for a brand that lacks the cachet of established upscale names like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Luckily, Volkswagen has seen success with other vehicles in its lineup, which currently includes everything from family-oriented sedans to roomy SUVs. Today, the automaker enjoys a reputation for crafting vehicles that offer refined handling and upscale accommodations.

User Reviews:

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  Took Me 23 Years... - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By ndccpf1 - January 13 - 12:30 pm

  I looked at the Audi A3 (have an A4 also) but for the money VW gave you MUCH more and was more sporty. The GTIs engine is GREAT! And... it has CLOTH seats! Hurray! When will the USA market realize leather is NOT what everybody wants. I want other features in a car, but dont force me to take leather to get them! AND...hatchbacks are great!

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  Fahrvergnugen! Driving enjoyment! - 2014 Volkswagen Passat
  By avidr - January 13 - 9:12 am

  I sampled quite a few --Accord, Camry, Mazda6, Fusion, Sonata, etc. The Passat felt the most tuned in. I love the torque curve that kicks in a very low rpms. Up-shifts come quickly, which makes the Passat seem like it has long legs. Im getting nearly 30 mpg in town. It really favors soft-pedalling the gas, but has plenty of juice when needed. Handling is excellent. Seats are comfortable. No squeaks or rattles. Soaks up bumps smoothly. Overall build quality seems to be right on. No USB port?!, so I bought a dual outlet converter. The Bluetooth works very well. Plenty of room. Stickered for $27,500, I paid $24,200, plus 0.9% financing.

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  Tiguan has hits & misses - 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By Twin1chrissy - January 13 - 8:27 am

  Ive been driving my 2018 SE Motion Tiguan now for two full months. I have a love-hate relationship with it thus far, I love to drive it on long road trips (500 miles plus) and hate driving it around town. Its very quiet and comfortable for long drives, the cruise control has smart technology, the back is very comfortable for the kids, and the gas mileage is awesome for the size vehicle. Unfortunately, most of my daily driving is around town and its terrible! The acceleration of the vehicle is so weak, the best way to describe it would be a sputtering from a complete stop. Ive found a way around that, I know put it in Sport mode when I accelerate from a full stop and once Im at a cruising speed I put it back in Drive mode. Its a bit extra work, but I have more confidence pulling into traffic when doing that. One of the biggest issues I have with the car that I did not notice during the test drive and of course the salesperson didnt mention was was there is NO hatch release in the car or on the key fob and there is no button to automatically close the hatch, which is very heavy! How can an MSRP $32K vehicle (I didnt pay that) in a competitive market not have a hatch release?!?!? When I discovered this I brought the vehicle back to the dealer and asked them to show me where the release was, they couldnt find it and stated, "oh wow, thats a big miss for VW. Theyll definitely be fixing that on next years model!" Really, what am I to do then?! Ive already reached out to VW with my complaints and customer care associate was surprised too! Im waiting for an aftermarket product to come out and will have it installed. One last issue I had was the car completely died on me in a parking lot while waiting for space. It went into the energy mode (which I had activated) but when I went to accelerate I just floated. I had to put my foot on brake put the car in Park and restart the car. I called dealer immediately and went there the following day, they ran their tests and couldnt find anything wrong. I got corporate involved, went back to the dealer and still havent found the problem. Its been two weeks since the ​incident and hasnt happened again, so not sure what caused it.

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  Solid Car! - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Kapusta - January 13 - 8:00 am

  Aside from the ignition coil recall (dealer replaced w/absolutely no problem), lousy windshield wipers ($70 per pair!) and a buzzy dashboard (replaced once already), Ive been happy with my 1.8T Passat. Its a great road car.

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  Awesome Car - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By coolb944 - January 13 - 5:23 am

  I have to disagree with all the bad press this car has been getting. The car, for one, does not look Japanese in anyway. It looks very European, and very Germanic, especially in the Reflex Silver I have. Every time I look at it, I think, "Wow, it really does look like a $30,000 car, and drives like it for that matter." The engine is smooth and torquey, unlike the reports Ive read, with an I6 sound, and the clutch is light and easy to use, but still has enough feel to put it on the sporty side. The handling feels great to me, although I havent had the chance to really push it. It feels very tied down, though, with great solidity of structure and a very buttoned down highway ride.

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  No brainer - 2010 Volkswagen Golf
  By ticarre - January 13 - 4:40 am

  This car is a no-brainer if you have the few extra bucks needed to buy it. The comfort level is way above its class, and so is the handling. The engine is peppy enough, yet smooth and powerful. The in-dash computer helps a lot to regulate your driving habits if you want to save on gas.

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  So Many Problems!!!! - 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By cap723 - January 12 - 10:56 pm

  I am just ending my 4 year lease and I have had so many issues with this car that have added up. Although the look of the car is very nice and its fun to drive and I never had any major mechanical problems - I still had issue after issue with this car. A few weeks after I drove it off the lot the guage that showed how much gas I had in my tank was broken. I had to take it back twice for them to fix it. Since then my radio just goes off when it wants, the back-up camera stopped working, I had to get new tires and breaks, there is a horrible moisture problem and it always smells like mold, the AC doesnt come out cold .it goes on!I would stay away from this car ulnless you want a heacache

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  Best car Ive owned - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Would buy another! - January 12 - 1:26 pm

  I bought this car in March of 2006 in Anchorage for touring around the state, and we love this car. In 4 years, we performed the recommended maintenance and put fuel in it, with no issues! Driving around 55-60 mph on the highways around Anchorage, we averaged 47-50 mpg. When we shipped it to Seattle and then drove it back to Texas, we average 48 mpg at 75 mph and then 46 mpg at 80-85 mph (on I-10 through West Texas). I made it from Gilbert, AZ to Fort Stockton, TX on a single tank of fuel driving 80 mph most of the way!

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  TDI REPLACEMENT - 2017 Volkswagen Passat
  By CHRIS CLINE - January 11 - 7:49 pm

  If VW can not upgrade my 2013 TDI then this will be my replacement vehicle. Not happy about the loss of mileage but being 6 `5`` tall love the leg room.

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  Great automobile - 2011 Volkswagen JETTA SPORTWAGEN
  By rchkah - January 11 - 12:14 am

  Purchased the car in April and have just over 14,000 miles on it. Always averaging 42 mpg. Love everything about the car. If I have an issue it would be somewhat jerky in town driving like it is searching for the right gear. Mine is an automatic so I can always downshift it to increase the RPMs. Snow season will soon be coming and I hope winter traction is good.